California Society / Through History’s Lens

Through History’s Lens

California Society

by SARAH TORNEY

California Dame “The Great Quake” on Sarah Torney April 18, 1906. He was connected San able to continue shooting Francisco’s past and for days after, documenting present through the lens the path of destruction of her family’s history. caused by the fires. In April 1906, San Francisco was hit with a Sarah was inspired to 7.9-magnitude earthquake. recreate a “then-and-now’’ Sarah’s great-grandfather, Edward Torney and Sarah Torney photo montage, capturing Edward Torney, took photos the same locations and throughout the city, documenting the devastating effects street corners her great-grandfather had photographed. of the quake. One hundred fourteen years after the quake, Not only has San Francisco's shelter-in-place mandate thepandemichaddevastatingeffectsonSanFranciscoand emptied the streets of many cars and people, similar to its residents. To recognize the remarkable efforts to keep the impact of the fires, but the timing was also significant. the city going through the pandemic, Sarah, who’s part Sarah completed this project 114 years to the month since of Google’s marketing team, recreated her grandfather’s the 1906 earthquake. photo series and juxtaposed his photos from 1906 with her photos from this year. This project kept her creativity Some things have clearly changed; new, modern buildings flowing during the early days of sheltering in place due to have replaced many that stood in the early twentieth the pandemic. century. The aftermath of the 1906 earthquake juxtaposed Sarah is a fifth-generation San Franciscan and fourteenth- amid the current health crisis is startling. generation American. In sifting through old family photos recently, she discovered a series of photos her great- This personal project became a fascinating history grandfather took in the days after the 1906 San Francisco lesson on San Francisco—and better yet, it helped Sarah earthquake. Her great-grandfather, Edward “Ned” discover family photos and stories that she will be able to Johnston Torney Sr., hit the streets with his camera to remember and share for generations. document the devastation caused by fires following the against the ghost town that is downtown San Francisco